A Horse With Many Names Comes to Florence

Florence Police Chief Ron Tyler says smack is back. You know...horse, the Big H, maybe Mexican brown or China white. We’re sure there are plenty of other names, but it’s been a long time since we read a Rolling Stone.

But don’t worry, we live in an enlightened age. The State of Alabama knows how to handle it. If meth is a problem, outlaw Sudafed. Now heroin? Get your Veterans Day poppy now folks; by November, they’ll be illegal. 

*****

Just how does someone get on heroin? Say what you will about pot, but it’s not a gateway drug (and no, Shoalanda does not do it.) Does someone just wake up one morning with back pain and think the Tylenol no longer cuts it, so they’ll give heroin a try? We don’t think so. We often laugh at many misconceptions concerning drugs, but in the case of heroin, we believe the term “pusher” hits the mark. You know: Try it, you’ll like it.

So besides possible death, just what are the drawbacks of heroin use and dealing. For starters, heroin is one of the drugs included in the state trafficking law. There will be no plea offers, there will be no probation, and there will be no parole. Once in prison, there will be no work release. Not a pleasant picture is it?

Do we think anything written here will influence even one possible user? In a word, no. Local authorities are asking parents to talk to their children. Not bad advice in some cases, but certainly not effective with all. How about seeing a young successful man have his name plastered all over the front page and then watching him go south for a long time? For those who say such arrests shouldn’t be publicized, we say yes they should. It may be the only deterrent available, and saving one life is worth it.

John Wesley Akin

Shoalanda